Electrical junction boxes are generally formed as box-like structures, such as the known, standard rectangular, square, round, and octagonal shaped steel and PVC junction boxes commonly employed in many different applications, which applications often include the surface or flush mounting of such junction boxes on a planar wall, either interiorly or exteriorly. Significantly, a flush mounting within curved structures such as cylindrical concrete piers is not realizable with the standard junction boxes, and on those occasions when rectangular, square, round, or octagonal shaped junction boxes have been either attached to or encased within concrete piers, unique problems have arisen. For example, in such situations, installed standard junction boxes have sometimes been completely recessed within the curved structure so as to prevent any portion thereof from protruding beyond the outer surface of the curved structure. While this arrangement of the junction box within the curved retaining structure helps to prevent mechanical or environmental damage to the junction box, it also makes access to and work within the junction box more inconvenient and difficult. Alternatively, such junction boxes, or portions thereof, have been installed to protrude beyond the outer surface of the curved structure into which they are mounted, making access to and work within the boxes more convenient, but such arrangement leaves portions of the junction boxes more vulnerable to damage from external sources. The latter configuration is also less weatherproof and tamperproof than is generally desired. Thus, there is a need for means to adapt standard junction boxes for flush mounting in cylindrical or curved shaped structures of various sizes, such as in cylindrical concrete piers commonly used for supporting light poles and other structures.
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/316,944, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,730, previously filed by this Applicant, discloses a junction box specifically configured for flush mounting within a curved structure, which junction box has a curvilinear or arcuate shaped front wall portion that is specifically designed to match the curvature of the curved structures, such as cylindrical concrete piers. That junction box construction is intended to replace the conventional rectangular and/or square shaped junction boxes for mounting applications within a curved structure. While such a construction is quite advantageous, the plethora of differently sized curved structures with which the junction boxes may be employed results in a need to keep an inventory of junction boxes that have different front wall curvatures. Keeping a large inventory of different junction boxes, however, can be costly and can require significant storage space.
Until now, there has been no known means for adapting a conventional or standard junction box for flush mounting within a curved structured or for adapting a junction box having an arcuate shaped front wall portion for flush mounting within a curved structure that has a curvature different from that of the curved junction box. Although many of the known prior art devices, including the devices disclosed in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/316,944, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,730 have different box-like shapes, no known prior art devices have included means for making standard non-curvilinear or non-arcuate shaped junction boxes compatible for ready use in a wide variety of differently curved structures, such as cylindrical concrete piers. Consequently, for these and other reasons, the constructions of this application offer significant advantages in applications where it is desirable to adapt a pre-existing or standard junction box for flush mounting within a curved structure, especially since they permit the advantages realized by the junction boxes of co-pending application Ser. No. 08/316,944 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,730 to be realized while also minimizing the need for extensive additional inventory of junction boxes.